In the dictionary Climate is defined as "the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years" (dictionary.com). Therefore Climate Change could be defined as the changing of one region's climate but what if that one region was our entire planet? 97% of scientists agree that Climate Change is occurring currently and is harmfully affecting our planet and all of life, including humanity. It's a danger to everything we have ever known yet would it surprise you to find out that people aren't acting on it? What if I told you that the majority of the world isn't even educated enough to understand what climate change is, or even more egregious, there are people who judge the overwhelming data as a hoax? Ecosystems across the globe are changing drastically due to mankind's mass use of products that release greenhouse gases. Earth is gaining massive amounts of energy, up to the equivalent of 400,000 Hiroshima bombs exploding daily (Hansen). Why does this matter? How does this affect both you and me? Using data recovered through ice cores and other time-stamping techniques, we can determine the last time Earth had the same temperature predicted in our future if we do not cut emission rates. Earth's most fertile grounds were barren, mountains lost their snowy peaks and lush rivers, glaciers and permafrost start to melt (thus increasing the temperature even more in a slippery slope style model), sea levels rise to sink oceanic countries much like the fabled lost city of Atlantis (displacing at least 10% of the world's population by 2100), storms increase in variety and severity, and lastly ecosystems around the globe collapse leading to a third of life being driven to extinction (SkyNews). Now not all is lost yet, however time to change our consumption of greenhouse gases is dwindling rapidly. If we limit our carbon consumption to 2.9 trillion tonnes, we can avoid all of this devastation (SkyNews). However we have already consumed 1.9 trillion tonnes and are on pace to use the remaining ton of carbon emission within the next 21 years (SkyNews). Clearly we have to avoid using this last ton at all costs. We must adapt to a more environmentally friendly future so that future generations can carry the torch and witness our planet and its beautiful life. We must step into The Green Era. The Green Era is a comprehensive plan to fight against climate change by establishing a combination of raising public awareness and education, creating environmental friendly government policies, and embracing and adapting to modern "green" technology at home, at work, and abroad. 

The first step in The Green Era plan is to educate the public by eliminating climate change denial, improving our environmental education system and raising the awareness of the climate change issue. 

Climate change denial is a phenomenon where citizens choose to ignore scientific data and reason for a government conspiracy. Climate change deniers claim that either climate change doesn't exist or climate change is a natural process unaffected by human intervention and its being used to push a liberal agenda to take our rights away. Psychologists have determined two main causes for this line of thinking; the optimism bias, and the confirmation bias (It's Okay To Be Smart). Optimism bias is the psychological theory that our brain is optimistic about bad things happening to other people. It's what causes us to text and drive even though we know its dangerous because only other people get in wrecks while texting and driving. The theory of optimism bias states our brain will accept that climate change wont affect us because climate change only happens to other people. Confirmation bias is the psychological theory that causes us to cherry pick information that conforms to our viewpoint. An example of confirmation bias would be to use a search engine with the boolean terms "Things Obama has done that are good/bad". You're more likely to find sources that confirm what you already believe. Confirmation bias allows climate change deniers to cherry pick information such as "Climate Change is natural" but ignoring that the climate has never naturally changed at such an extreme rate since the industrial revolution. Climate change is real, 2015 was the warmest year in recorded history with 15 of the last 16 years continuing a rising change in climate (NASA). Eliminating climate change denial is imperative to get on track on solving the climate crisis.

The next step in educating the public is to increase funding and efficiency in teaching environmental science. Introducing environmental science earlier in a student's education ,while they are still growing into the person they will become, can install a sense of concern and urgency for environmental conservatism. According to the academic journal, The Ethical and Civic Dimensions of Environmental Education, "62.5% of respondents believe that people who have a strong environmental education with a well-defined sense of responsibility are actively involved in protecting our planet in order to ensure a healthy, balanced environment" (Iovan, 30). Introducing environmental issues to elementary children has been effective at raising their awareness according to an academic study by Yeter Simsekli.  Simsekli writes "The findings reveal that, after the implementation, there has been an increase in the number of students who mention the problems, the causes of the problems in their environment and propose solutions for these problems. In addition, there has been an increase in the number of students who volunteer to take part in environmental activities within the school or out of the school" (Simsekli,1). We can greatly improve public awareness of climate change and environmental issues by implementing a better environmental education system.

The last step to educating the public is to simply raise awareness for those who are out of academia. Government officials across the globe need to publicly recognize climate change as a serious challenge for mankind. We can only use tax money to create Public Service Announcements that educate citizens on the dangers of leaving climate change unchecked. We cannot fix a worldwide problem if the problem is not known and recognized worldwide. Educating the public on climate change should be our first priority.

The next step to a better future with the environment is to create governmental policies and programs to reduce greenhouse gases and push The Green Era. A big government can, understandably, frighten the public, however it creates the highest possibility of curbing climate change. Electricity, the phone service, the interstate system, nuclear power, and the internet; None of these would've been possible without the government helping them spread (Orsekes). History shows big governmental plans to spread new technology have been extremely effective. 

California has already taken steps to help combine the government and the private sector to combat the changing of the climate. The California Assembly Bill 32 deals with creating Urban Forests to absorb greenhouse gases and produce more "green" city states. Urban Forests are trees and other plants planted inside cities on private property to assimilate damage caused by air pollution. Urban Forests have been recognized as efficient in fighting climate change; " ...  scholars now recognize that successful urban forest management strategies can have a significant impact on our society's ability to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change" (Raskin). 

President Obama has also released his plan in the fight against climate change. The Clean Power Plan [CPP] hopes to lower carbon emissions from power plants by about 870 million short tons by the year 2030. That seemingly high number is only 32% of the carbon emissions produced by US power plants. This is undoubtedly a great step in the direction of environmental sustainability but at what cost? With the recent EPA What are the facts vs the propaganda by the government department? An in-depth look at the CPP proves it can be an effective, healthy plan, it is constitutional, and possibly most importantly, can be economically supported.

The Clean Power Project aims to create a positive impact on US citizens health and the safety of our environment. By 2030 the EPA estimates a decrease in Nitrogen Oxide by 282,000 tons, and Sulfur Dioxide by 318,000 tons (epa.gov) These gases are the basic formula for smog and soot. The CPP would decrease the two gases by 20% which has many beneficial health effects. It is estimated that cleaner air could save up to 3,600 fewer premature deaths, prevent 62,000 respiratory problems in children and decrease asthma attacks by 90,000 for kids. This movement is important for the health of our youth! It also estimated 300,000 less missed days of work of school and allows 1.4 million more days when people don't have to limit there activities (epa.gov). Not enough to convince you? Power Plants are the number one source for domestic greenhouse gases. The CPP will cut the emissions by power plants by the equivalent of the annual carbon emissions from 70% of our nations passenger vehicles. The CPP is backed by the government and scientists as a healthy alternative to today's US standard energy production. Government has an important role in solving the climate crisis and should be held accountable for their actions.

The final arm of The Green Era plan relies on the global private sector to innovate at a high level and produce environmental friendly technology. Luckily we have already started adapting and innovating to accomplish this difficult task.

Countries across the globe have started to reconstruct our infrastructure to be better equipped to defend against the onslaught of climate damage. For example, after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans developed more sophisticated levees and started to build and modify bridges and buildings to raise above possible flood zones (Arroyo). Farmers are struggling with the effects of climate change internationally. To combat this, organizations such as Oxfam and Swiss Re and the Rockefeller Foundation, are helping farmers build hillside terraces and find other ways to conserve water, but they're also providing the farmers insurance when the droughts do come (Arroyo). After a deadly 1995 heat wave, Chicago became a leading city in innovation for environmental architecture using techniques such as planting gardens on rooftops to redirect sunlight and prevent massive heat (Arroyo). Washington D.C implemented a 5 cents plastic bag tax and has used the money to lead the country in garden rooftops planted last year. Garden rooftops lower heat that would otherwise require expensive air conditioning that would release greenhouse gases. To combat against rising sea levels, the San Francisco is investing in technology to protect its airport and water and sewage systems (Arroyo). Climate change adaptions are taking place worldwide and are an important step in the right direction.

Alternative energy will be the future of power. Energy sources such as Hydro, Solar, Wind, and others can provide a clean source of energy to freely use as the technology continues to grow. We will have a clean energy society when people view a clean energy future in a similar light (Beinecke, 722). Each alternative energy has strong pros and cons. Hydro power is clean and doesn't rely on weather conditions to produce massive amounts of energy but disturbs animal migrations, has a lack of locations that it can be used in, and is very expensive. Solar power is the cheapest of the main alternative energy and is highly efficient but relies on having sunlight to power it and does not yet have sufficient battery technology to run alongside it. Wind power is clean and produces a sizable amount of energy but is known to kill a significant amount of birds, create an extreme amount of noise pollution, and requires strong winds which can typically be only found in flatlands. Alternative energy will be required to get off of burning fossil fuels and should continue to be heavily invested in.

Due to rising temperature and population, freshwater sources are routinely drying up around the globe but it can be alleviated with new technology based on desalination. Qatar consumes 430 liter of water per capita yet only gets an average of 74 millimeters of water a year (Al-Attiya). The desalination technology in Qatar turns saltwater into freshwater through chemical and physical processes but requires a large amount of energy. A large amount of energy that has historically been created through fossil fuels however Qatar has already started to use alternative energy to power their desalination machines to meet this energy requirement. 

Food is also going to be an issue going forward as we continue to exhaust the land and aquatic animals for meat. A fish farm in Spain has already noticed the issues with our fishing habits and created a self-replenishing natural ecosystem that we can farm without damaging biodiversity of the health of the environment (Barber). The Spanish fish farm thrives due to having a complete and natural ecosystem. The lead director estimates the fish farm loses 30% of its fish to wild birds, such as flamingos, but insists this keeps the fish healthier (Barber). This allows the fish farm to forgo fish feed and other unnatural farming techniques that harm the environment.

 Soil can also be used to fight climate change. Researchers and farmers in France have discovered that soil can absorb carbon, which actually makes it healthier and more fertile (The Center For Food Safety). Soil complexions can allow the Earth to absorb carbon and use it in a positive way for the environment (A Center For Food Safety).

Arguably the most important piece of the puzzle in developing and embracing "green" technology. Our world is a highly sophisticated and relies on machines and other innovations to survive and thrive. We will need to replace, and expand on the technology we have created to create a more environmental friendly world.

Climate change is impeding on us every moment. However time has not run out on us quite yet. Everyday more research is gathered on the future ahead of us; "The important point is that we will have started a process that is out of humanity's control. Ice sheets would continue to disintegrate for centuries. There would be no stable shoreline. The economic consequences are almost unthinkable" (Hansen). 40% of the world ice has melted and brought forth destruction upon ecosystems and looks to ruin more (SkyNews). It will take the world's combined effort to defeat a foe as powerful as Mother Nature. By educating the public, entrusting government officials to fight the climate crisis head on, and by embracing the "green" wave of technology, we can live in harmony with our environment. We will not go into that gentle good night. We will rage against the dying light and defeat climate change. The Green Era has come and it is time to act and stand united against the global threat of climate change.

